Tag: Observations

By taking time to slow down and be present, you may be surprised at what you notice.

When you create space to observe beings, materials, or processes in your surroundings that you may have otherwise missed, it can deepen your connection with your surroundings and potentially inspire you in unexpected ways. Small encounters you may have in these moments of practicing attention can produce meaningful care.

For example, artist Valérie has shared about her experience seeing nearby clusters of arthropod observations on iNaturalist. These places of concentrated observations suggest sustained human attention to non-human life present there.

We have discussed how beauty could be framed as a possible call to action, rather than a retreat from urgency. Slowing down to observe your surroundings or artwork can create a connection that inspires further action.

You might experience this through music, poetry, walking in the woods, meeting a weed, or connecting with “otherness” or alterity.

Taking moments to pause and connect can bring you beyond yourself and towards meaningful action.